Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Re: Save this doctor

BREAKING: This is the first picture of Dr Abu Safiya in more than a year. Showing clear signs of abuse, the doctor who saved the lives of newborns in Gaza sat before the court with quiet dignity as Israeli officials rushed to hide the image from reporters. Terezinha, as these images go viral, join over 600,000 people calling on EU governments to pressure Israel for his immediate release – sign and share now to free Dr Abu Safiya and all of Gaza's health workers: Free Dr Abu Safiya Here’s the campaign we started when he was first arrested: Dr Abu Safiya is a hero. He sacrificed everything to save lives in Gaza – and now Israel is holding him, and reportedly torturing him, without charges. Doctors around the world are rising to free him and other Gaza medics. Let’s join them: sign and share now to get them back home to their families: They killed his son. They bombed his hospital. They blocked the supplies he used to treat children screaming in pain. But he wouldn’t stop saving lives – until Israeli forces imprisoned and reportedly tortured him. Now he and about 90 other medics are being held in detention, many taken while caring for their patients. Five have reportedly died behind bars, and others are suffering assaults and beatings. As world leaders focus on the ceasefire plan, doctors across the globe are rising to demand freedom for their brave colleagues, so they can keep thousands of wounded children in Gaza alive. Let’s join them: add your name to call for the release of Dr Abu Safiya and his colleagues, who showed what humanity is capable of, and help bring them home to their families:

Sunday, June 21, 2026

The Sudan update we've wanted to send

420,000 people helped across Sudan With meals, medicine, shelter, and emergency care funded by Avaaz members "This basket saved my children from hunger. We had a dignified meal for the first time in months, and I felt able to endure again and provide more than just food for my children." — A Sudanese mother from a village in the Um Al-Qura locality. Dear Terezinha, Amid the horror of war in Sudan, Avaaz members have enabled something beautiful to flourish. I've had the honour of reading reports from the communities we've been supporting, and it is truly breathtaking. In parts of Sudan, where families are facing extreme violence and hunger, community kitchens supported by Avaaz members are serving thousands of meals every day. Volunteers gather to chop vegetables, prepare food, and make sure families who've lost almost everything can still eat a dignified meal. Many have been displaced themselves. Thanks to donations from Avaaz members around the world, 420,000 people have received emergency assistance so far -- including hot meals, medicine, maternal healthcare, shelter, and blankets. Sudan is experiencing the world's largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes, often leaving behind everything they knew and carrying only a few personal belongings.

Saturday, June 20, 2026

FGM ban under threat again?!?

URGENT: In just three weeks we Gambians will have our last chance to defend the ban on cutting girls. When I was very young, I was held down while part of my genitals were cut away. That's illegal, for now. But pro-FGM leaders are attacking the ban in court. We're mobilizing to defend it, and combining a global outcry with survivors' voices could carry the day. Join us! Will you help me work towards a world where no little girls are cut and mutilated? My name is Fatou Baldeh, and when I was a little girl, I was held down on the floor while part of my genitals were cut away.  It is a moment that changes you forever. We won a ban on female genital mutilation in 2015. And, along with Avaaz, we defended it in 2024. But children are still being cut – last year, two baby girls died. Now pro-FGM advocates are attacking the ban again, this time at the Supreme Court. The final Court hearing is just three weeks away  – it's our last chance to defend the ban. And global pressure combined with the voices of Gambian survivors could make all the difference by pushing the government to stand up for its law and showing the Court that the world is watching. Sign now, and I'll work with Avaaz to bring women from all over the country to the hearing to make survivors' voices heard! And we'll flood the capital with ads and news stories so top officials know the world stands with us.